Dominion of Pretoria
Overview The Dominion of Pretoria is the southernmost country in Africa, situated in the Magaliesberg mountain range. Having only recently reached statehood, Pretoria is ruled under an authoritarian regime headed by the Chancellor, Jan Smuts. It is somewhat unstable, as the Chancellor's regime is busily at work organizing the country and getting a proper government set up. Geography & Resources Geography Located in the real life South African province of Gauteng, the Dominion of Pretoria's lands are dominated by rolling hills and mountains, with fertile valleys and flatlands becoming more common as one travels north. Its landscape is dotted with lakes of varying sizes, providing plenty of water despite the nation's landlocked status. Resources Pretoria's highlands and mountains hold a variety of minerals, such as gold and uranium; however, the mining industry in Pretoria remains somewhat small due to a lack of investment (domestic or foreign). On the contrary, its flatlands (especially in the north) are especially fertile, and are home to a strong agricultural industry that provides the country with plenty of food. Demographics The majority of Pretoria's considerable population of 276,000 live in the city of Pretoria -- it is the only major population center in the country. There is still a large rural minority in the country, however, as 40% of the nation's population live in rural areas. The absolute majority of all Pretorians are Anglo-Afrikaner, which comprise about 90% of the nation's population. This happenstance blend of Boer and British culture arose from a post-war South Africa, the two peoples having mostly migrated to the same areas and forming clusters of European settlements in an area of the African continent where such a thing was rare. Due to living somewhat peacefully and close to each other for so long, the cultures began to blend over the course of centuries, creating the Anglo-Afrikaner nation. However, there is a small minority of South African peoples in the country: only 10% of the population consist of Africans, about three quarters of which are slaves. These peoples are remnants of old Pretoria before the war, taken captive during the conflicts in which the Anglo-Afrikaners first forced out the tribes inhabiting the pre-war Pretorian ruins. The majority of Pretorians -- 50% of the population -- are Christians. However, there is no dominant church in the city; Catholics, Protestants, and even members of indigenous African churches are all found in Pretoria. 40% of the population are of a rather dominant cultural religion; 9% are of a South-African indigenous religion; and only 1% are of another unspecified religion or have no religion at all. Much of politics in Pretoria is focused on domestic issues rather than focusing on foreign/international issues; for example, racial politics and civil rights are two of the the most discussed topics in the country. This 'Pretoria first' stance on politics is due to a mostly right-leaning population, with the majority of people being at least somewhat patriotic and in support of a strong government, as well as much of the country taking pride in their culture and family's traditions. Civil rights are a deeply divisive (if not the most divisive) issue in the country, with much of the older generations being in favor of slavery or outright genocide; however, the newer generation -- despite being less active in politics and more focused on career-building and entrepreneurship -- are somewhat more liberal towards civil rights, even if their stance towards many other topics (such as nationalism and militarism) remains quite the opposite. Cities, Towns, & Outposts Capital - Pretoria (small city) Outpost - Dojeerplek Politics Government The Chancellor -- currently Jan Smuts, a prominent military leader and statesman -- holds supreme power in the Pretorian government. Some duties, such as the day-to-day administration of the nation, are delegated to the Chancellor's upper staff. While being an undemocratic regime, the government will from time to time give the citizenry the opportunity to vote on certain matters; however, these votes are mostly used to collect data on the political leanings of the people and they have negligible sway on most political decisions. Important & Recent Acts The Joint State-Church Free Literacy Act 1) It is decreed that the State and the many Churches that service our great Pretoria shall cooperate to provide a free education to the point of literacy and competency in English at no cost to the following categories of persons: * a) South Africans (especially those who are illiterate or unable to speak English), * b) Any persons unable to speak, read, or write in English, * c) Any persons incompetent in speaking, reading, or writing in English to the point of being unintelligible 2) The reading and learning material used under this act is provided jointly by the efforts of the many Churches in Pretoria, and will consist of the following material as regulated and approved by the State: * a) A simplified, easy-to-read English translation of the Bible, due to the familiarity of its contents to most persons * b) Worksheets and curriculum for teaching the following to persons who do not speak English: saying and writing the alphabet; saying, spelling, and writing basic words; basic grammatical structures; and grammatical structuring advanced enough for the construction of complex sentences. * c) Worksheets and curriculum for teaching the following to persons who can only speak English: writing the alphabet, spelling and writing basic words; basic grammatical structures; and grammatical structuring advanced enough for the construction of complex sentences. * d) Writing utensils and paper for practicing writing. Foreign Policy Pretoria is currently allied with the Khanate of The Cossacks and the Dominion of Southern Rhodesia. Pretoria is currently trading with nobody. Pretoria is currently embargoing nobody. Pretoria is currently at war with nobody. Culture Pretoria is dominated by Anglo-Afrikaner culture, a mix of culture from the descendants of British immigrants and pre-war Boer culture. This culture arose first about half a century following the end of The Great War, in the rural communities of white farmers and wealthy individuals. These groups of people, due to the threat of outsiders, began to band together into clans of sorts; dozens of rural families would come together, protecting eachother's land and acting as a large tribe. The clans took root especially around Pretoria, and began resettling around the ruins of the old city. During the process of resettling the region, they drove the indigenous South Africans out, enslaving those who stayed or surrendered. As a result, indigenous culture is mostly not present -- although it does have some precedence amongst slave populations -- and freedmen tend to not adhere to their native customs, instead integrating into society. However, surprisingly enough, Anglo-Afrikaner views on these assimilated freedmen are only segregationist: they view them as an uplifted and equal species, but believe that the two species should live in their own communities (even if they're under the same nation). Due to some of the familial clans from pre-unification times still being quite powerful, much of Anglo-Afrikaner (and especially Pretorian) culture has quite a lot of focus on family. To betray a family member is unthinkable, and to attack, or murder a family member is considered a crime worthy of death, almost no matter the reason. This way of life having been cemented into Anglo-Afrikaner way of life for two centuries has resulted in a strong emphasis on familial duty and identity in the nation; but it has also served to create a sense of national identity amongst the people, inspiring patriotism. This strong sense of familial tradition has been amongst white culture in the area even since pre-war times. While the majority of the nation's population is Christian, one of the largest religious minorities in the nation is a strange blend of a few indigenous traditions that managed to make it into the current day, Christianity, and Anglo-Afrikaner culture. History